Continuous platform cutting apparatus for cutting a cellular polymer surface

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for continuously shaping a compressible or cellular polymer material, such as polyurethane foam, by cutting portions of the material from a surface of a slab of the material includes a compression roller, a support surface, a blade and a moving patterned platform interposed between the compression roller and the support surface. The moving patterned platform, preferably an endless belt or a series of interconnected panels, defines at least one recess, and may define a pattern of recesses of complex or simple shapes and at various depths. When the slab of cellular polymer material is compressed between the compression roller and the support surface, a portion of the material fills the recess or recesses in the moving patterned belt. The blade then transversely cuts from the surface of the slab a portion of the material within the recesses in the platform just as the slab emerges from between the compression roller and the support surface. After the cut portions are removed, the resulting product has a profile-cut surface with cut-out portions corresponding in mirror image to the pattern and shape of the recesses. Depending upon the compression factor of the material, the cut-out portions will substantially correspond in depth to the recesses provided on the moving patterned platform.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Three related applications were filed concurrently with the presentapplication. U.S. Ser. No. 08/899,460, filed Jul. 23, 1997, titledMethods for Cutting a Cellular Polymer Surface with Multiple ContinuousPlatforms; U.S. Ser. No. 08/899,418, filed Jul. 23, 1997, titledApparatus for Cutting a Cellular Polymer Surface with MultipleContinuous Platforms; and U.S. Ser. No. 08/899,398, filed Jul. 23, 1997,titled Method of Cutting a Cellular Polymer Surface with a ContinuousPlatform Cutting Apparatus.

Another related application is U.S. Ser. No. 595,573, filed Feb. 1,1996, titled Precut Conforming Foam Underlayment for Automotive FloorPan Carpeting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to apparatus for continuously shaping thesurface of a slab of compressible or cellular polymer material, such aspolyurethane foams. A blade cuts portions of the compressible materialfrom the surface of the slab after the slab has been compressed betweena compression roller and a movable patterned platform.

Several methods and apparatus for cutting slabs of cellular polymermaterials have been disclosed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat.No. 4,700,447 to Spann discloses convolute-cutting slabs of polyurethanefoam by compressing a slab or pad of foam between a pair of rolls withopposed spaced projecting fingers arranged in a pattern and cutting thefoam with a saw blade transversely just as it emerges from the rolls.The cut slab is then separated into two pads each with convolute-cutsurfaces forming a series of peaks separated by valleys. The valleysformed on one pad are formed by slicing away foam which becomes a matingpeak or projection on the other pad. Spann then shaves the peaks to forma more planar top surface. As noted in Spann, convolute cutting aloneproduces only rounded peaks and rounded valleys, and it is difficult, ifnot impossible, to produce a cut surface with peaks having substantiallyflat top surfaces or with recesses having substantially straight sidewalls. The convolute usually is intended to form the classic symmetricaland repeating “egg crate” pattern of peaks and valleys. To achieve aplanar upper surface at other than the recessed portions the tops of thepeaks must be cut or shaped in a second step.

Compressible cellular polymer materials may also be cut using a hot wirecutter. A slab of such material is cut by moving the slab relative toone or more hot wires as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,791(Demont). Only straight cuts in regular or symmetrical patterns may beformed using a hot wire cutter. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,000(MacFarlane) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,350 (Stegall).

Shapes may be cut into the surface of a slab of cellular polymermaterial using a punch cutting apparatus, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 5,299,483 (BerFong). A block of the cellular material is pressedagainst a template so that a portion of the material is forced throughan opening in the template. The exposed material is then cut by a bladeand removed, leaving a recess or cavity in the slab. This method cutsone block of material at a time, and only one surface at a time.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,211 (Azzolini) compresses a block of foam materialagainst a template or die having an aperture therein using a pair ofplates with concave and convex portions. The compressed foam istransversely cut along the template as it is held between the plates.More complex cut regions may be obtained than when using a templatewithout the plates with raised and depressed portions, but only oneblock is cut at a time. Other template or pattern cutting methods areshown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,650 (Schroder) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,291(Babcock).

The surface of a cellular polymer material may be shaped by molding orembossing, as opposed to cutting. U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,342 (Forster), forexample, discloses injecting the foam-forming composition into a moldcavity. After sufficient curing time, the individual foamed article isremoved from the mold. Other one-shot molding techniques and apparatusare known to persons of skill in the art. The molded cellular polymerproduct generally forms a tough skin at the surfaces that were incontact with the mold.

Continuous and semi-continuous molding processes are also known. Theseprocesses have the same drawbacks associated with one-shot moldingtechniques. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,128,369 and 4,290,248(Kemerer, et al.) disclose an apparatus and method for impressionmolding thermoplastic products. The thermoplastic material in a liquidstate is injected between compressed traveling belt molds. As the beltmolds travel away from the point of introduction of the thermoplastic,they are cooled, which in turns cools the thermoplastic material,allowing it to solidify. The hardened molded thermoplastic material isremoved from between the belts to form the finished product. Kemererdoes not show a method for cutting or shaping a cellular polymermaterial, such as polyurethane foam.

A method of embossing a foam surface using a patterned metallicembossing belt or band is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,258(Breitscheidel). The foam is heated and then pressed against theembossing belt. The belt is removed after the foam surface cools. Theembossed surface by design has a hardened skin. No method for cutting orshaping the foam is disclosed.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,208 (Barr) discloses a continuous rotary method forsurface shaping synthetic foams in which the foam is compressed betweena compression roller and a die roller having raised and recessedportions. The portions of the foam extruded into the recesses in the dieroller are cut away. The compressed foam portions return to anuncompressed state after passing through the rollers. As a result, amirror-image pattern to the pattern on the surface of the die roller iscut on the surface of the foam. The diameter of the die roller limitsthe length of the shaped synthetic foam article that may be formed.

The prior art does not disclose an apparatus for continuously shaping acompressible or cellular polymer material of unlimited length by cuttingto form recesses of various depths and various symmetrical andnonsymmetrical shapes. Nor does the prior art disclose a profile cutproduct without the hardened skin or hard spots associated with moldedor embossed products. Nor does the prior art disclose cuttingcompressible or cellular polymer materials with an apparatus thatincludes a movable patterned platform, such as an endless belt or aseries of connected panels defining at least one recess or void intowhich the cellular material may be compressed before cutting thematerial transversely with a knife blade.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus for continuously shaping a compressible or cellular polymermaterial, such as polyurethane foam, by cutting and removing portions ofthe material is disclosed. A compression roller and a support surfacecompress a slab of cellular polymer material. A moving patternedplatform interposed between the compression roller and the supportsurface defines one or more recesses or voids that hold a portion of thecellular material as it is compressed by the roller. A knife bladepositioned downstream from the compression roller and support surface,preferably with the blade interposed between the compression roller andthe patterned platform, cuts the slab transversely just as it emergesfrom between the compression roller and the support surface, thustrimming off those portions of the cellular material that filled therecesses or voids in the patterned platform. The blade may be positionedto shave a fine scrim layer of foam from the slab surface, butpreferably the blade cuts away foam material only from those portions ofthe surface at which it is intended that voids or recesses be formed.

Preferably the support surface is an idler roller and the compressionroller is motor driven. The patterned platform is also preferably motordriven.

The patterned platform may be an endless belt or a series of movablepanels or plates or any other structure that may travel in a continuouscircuit or path. Where the patterned platform is an endless belt, thebelt is placed over a series of rollers wherein at least one such rolleris motor driven. The belt may be engaged to the drive roller withinterconnecting gears or ribs so that the rotation of the drive rollercauses the belt to travel. Where the patterned platform is formed by aseries of interconnected panels, such as metal plates, the panelspreferably are connected movably to a chain and sprocket drive system.Thus when the sprocket is driven, such as by a motor, the sprocketdrives the chain and the panels interconnected to the chain.

The patterned platform defines at least one recess, which may be a holeor void through the platform, but preferably is a cut-out portion thatdoes not pass through the entire thickness of the platform. The recessmay be provided as a simple or complex geometric shape. Where more thanone recess is defined in the platform, the recesses may be of the sameor different shapes, may be interconnected or separated, may besymmetrical or nonsymmetrical, and may be repeating or non-repeating onthe patterned surface of the patterned platform. The recesses may be cutto different depths in the platform. Several separate series ofdifferent recesses may be provided on one patterned platform.

As the slab travels with the patterned platform and is compressedbetween the rollers, a portion of the cellular material fills therecesses or voids in the patterned platform. Greater amounts of cellularmaterial are cut from the slab in regions that have been compressed intothe recesses or voids in the patterned platform because this materialhas been forced to one side of the cutting edge of the blade in theseregions. The cut portions are removed from the slab after it passes theknife. The resulting profile cut product has on its cut face a series ofcut regions that substantially correspond in pattern and shape in mirrorimage to the recesses or voids provided in the patterned platform. Thecut regions in the slab are also cut deeper in those regions thatcorrespond to the deeper recesses in the patterned platform. However,due to the varying compression factors for cellular polymer materials,the depth of cut of the cut regions usually is not identical to thedepth of cut of the recesses within the patterned platform.

Using the apparatus according to the invention, a profile cut cellularproduct in which portions have been cut from both the upper and lowersurface may be formed by feeding the slab through the apparatus twice.First one surface is cut, then the cut product is inverted and fedthrough the apparatus a second time to cut its opposite surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the invention shallbecome apparent upon reading the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of thecontinuous platform cutting apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2—2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of the inventionshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an alternate moving platformfor the continuous platform cutting apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmental side elevational view of a cellular polymerunderlayment mat defining patterned recesses that have been cut into themat using the continuous platform cutting apparatus of the invention;and

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the mat of FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to the embodiment of the invention as shown in FIGS.1-3, a continuous platform profile cutting apparatus 10 for compressibleor cellular polymer materials is supported on a first frame structure 12and second frame structure 22. A shaft 14 is mounted for rotation to thefirst frame structure 12, preferably with bearings. A motor 16 drivesthe shaft 14. A drive roller 18 is mounted on shaft 14. The outersurface of the drive roller 18 may be covered or coated with a slipresistant material, such as urethane. Ribs or gear teeth 20 are providedaround the outer end or peripheral end surfaces of the first driveroller 18. Alternatively, separate gears with suitable gear teeth may beprovided at each end of the first drive roller 18.

Shaft 24 is mounted for rotation to the second frame structure 22,preferably using bearings. A first follower roller 28 is mounted onshaft 24. The outer surface of the first follower roller 28 may becovered or coated with a slip resistant material, such as urethane.

A patterned platform, such as endless patterned belt 32, has a patternedfacing surface 34 and an opposite surface 38. Belt 32 is mounted aroundthe drive roller 18 and first follower roller 28. The belt facingsurface 34 defines recesses 36, which may be simple or complex shapes,simple geometric patterns, complex patterns, symmetrical or repeatingpatterns or non-symmetrical and non-repeating patterns. Rectangular 36and circular 37 recesses are shown by way of example in FIG. 1. Therecesses may be provided at various depths as discussed in more detailbelow.

Mating ribbed sections 39 on the outer edges of the belt oppositesurface 38 mate with or engage the ribs or gear teeth 20 provided on thedrive roller 18. When the motor 16 drives shaft 14, which in turnrotates drive roller 18, the endless belt 32 travels around the driveroller 18 and the first follower roller 28. The mated ribbed sections 39and ribs 20 and the frictional engagement between the contactingsurfaces of the belt with the rollers keep the belt centered and alignedwith the rollers as it travels a path around the rollers.

First idler roller 40 is mounted for rotation on shaft 42 which is heldby a portion 44 of the frame 12. First idler roller 40 is positioned ata point between the drive roller 18 and the first follower roller 28 tostabilize the movement of the endless belt 32.

Compression roller 46 is provided at a point between the drive roller 18and the first follower roller 28. The compression roller 46 is mountedfor rotation on shaft 48. The shaft 48 is held in a bearing recesswithin a frame 52. Tension adjusting means 54, such as a fluid cylinderor spring or series of springs, may act on frame 52 to adjust thecompression force applied.

The outer surface 47 of the compression roller 46 contacts the oppositesurface 38 of the belt 32. The outer surface 47 of the compressionroller may be covered or coated with a slip resistant material, such asurethane. As shown best in FIG. 2, the surface 47 of the compressionroller 46 does not extend to the full outer periphery of the roller,leaving a recess into which the ribbed portions 39 extend so that thesurface 47 of the roller 46 contacts the surface 38 of the belt 32.Greater slip resistance results when the amount of surface engagementbetween the belt 32 and the roller compression surface 47 is increased.

Compression roller 56 with outer compression surface 60 is mounted forrotation on shaft 58. The shaft 58 is held within frame 52. A motor 57drives shaft 58. The roller 56 is separated from compression roller 46,leaving a space or gap through which the endless belt 32 travels betweenthe compression surfaces of the rollers. The arrow 64 in FIG. 2indicates the force applied against the frame 52 to urge roller 56toward roller 46.

Referring to FIG. 3, knife blade 76 or other cutting blade is heldwithin casing 74. The blade 76 must have a sharp tip that issufficiently sharp to cut transversely slabs of cellular polymermaterials, such as polyurethane foams. Because the blade 76 constructionis known and understood by persons of skill in the art of cuttingcellular polymer materials, such as polyurethane foams, it will not bedescribed in detail.

The blade 76 is positioned adjacent to the compression rollers 46, 56 sothat the sharp tip of the blade is at the output side of the rollers andadjacent to or just beyond the point at which the outer surfaces 47, 60of the compression rollers 46, 56 act to their greatest extent tocompress material that is placed between the rollers. The blade 76 isalso positioned between the compression surface 60 of compression roller56 and the patterned facing surface 34 of endless belt 32 so that theblade tip is close to tangential contact with the facing surface 34. Theblade 76 should be positioned so that it will not cut the compressionsurface 60 of the roller 56 or the patterned facing surface 34 of thebelt 32. The blade 76 should not interfere with the rotation of therollers 46, 56 or the movement of the belt 32. Blade orientation may beadjusted so that the tip of the blade is moved closer or farther fromthe nip between roller 46 and roller 56.

In the preferred embodiment as shown best in FIGS. 2 and 3, as a slab 80of cellular material, such as polyurethane foam, is fed between thecompression surface 60 of compression roller 56 and the patterned facingsurface 34 of the endless belt 32, the slab 80 is compressed by therollers 46, 56. When the slab 80 travels into the nip or space betweenthe rollers 46, 56, portions of the compressed slab material are heldwithin the recesses 36 defined within the facing surface 34 of the belt32.

Knife blade 76 cuts transversely portions of the slab 80 just as theslab 80 emerges from between the compression rollers 46, 56. As shown inFIG. 3, the cuts into the slab 80 are made in the regions correspondingto those regions in which slab material had been compressed withinrecesses 36 defined in the facing surface 34 of the belt 32. A portionof the material that was held within a recess in the belt is cut awayfrom the slab before the compressed cellular material is able to recoverto its uncompressed state as it emerges from the compression rollers.Portions of the slab surface not compressed into the recesses or voidsin the facing surface 34 of the belt 32 may or may not be cut, dependingupon the position of the blade 76.

After the slab is cut as it emerges from the rollers, the cut-awayportions 88 are removed as waste in this example, leaving a resultingprofiled cellular material 90. The resulting product 90 has recesses 92substantially corresponding in shape to the recesses 36 provided in thepatterned face surface 34 of the endless belt 32. Slabs of cellularmaterial may thus be provided with profiled surfaces with an endlessarray of patterns, whether symmetrical or nonsymmetrical, simple orcomplex, or repeating or non-repeating. For example, alternatively thecut-away portion 88 might be a separate profiled cellular materialproduct 90.

Preferably, only portions of the slab that have been compressed intorecesses or voids are cut away, resulting in less waste to remove fromthe surface of the slab as it emerges from the cutting apparatus. Incontrast to prior cutting methods, the waste material does not fall awayand contaminate the apparatus, but is carried away by the belt 32. Thewaste may then be swept or vacuumed off the belt as it continues totravel along its path defined by the rollers 18, 28.

Long slabs of cellular material may be fed continuously into and shapedby the continuous platform cutting apparatus. The apparatus may be usedto cut multiple products continuously from a single slab of material.The recesses formed in a single patterned platform may be arranged inseparate configurations for different products. Alternately, repeatingrecess patterns may be formed in the patterned platform. In addition,patterned platforms of different lengths may be used to form finishedcut products of different lengths.

An example of a profile-cut product 300 made according to the inventionis shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The profile cut product 300 represents acellular polymer insulating barrier or underlayment that will beinstalled in the interior of a motor vehicle between the floor surfaceand the carpeting. The upper surface 310 of the underlayment has beencut to provide complex patterns of recesses or voids. As shown in FIG.6, generally rectangular-shaped recesses 312 have been cut into thesurface of the product 300. In addition, more complex shaped recesses,such as interconnecting generally oval-shaped recesses 314 andinterconnecting straight-edged and curved-edged recesses 316, may be cutinto the cellular material. For the underlayment for a motor vehicle,preferably one surface, here what has been referred to as the uppersurface 310, is cut and the opposite surface remains uncut. The cutsurface of the underlayment is placed adjacent to the motor vehiclesurface so that the voids and recesses in the underlayment mate withshaped portions projecting from the vehicle surface. In this manner, theunderlayment may be provided so as to match the contour of the vehicleinterior surface. Once the underlayment is installed in the vehicle,carpet or other covering may be installed adjacent to the uncut andgenerally smooth surface of the underlayment.

The depth of the recesses 36, 37 of the belt 32 are typically a smallfraction of the depth of the corresponding cuts to be made in thesurface of the foam material 80. Because of the compression factor ofthe foam against the pattern belt 32, a shallow depression 36, 37 in thepattern belt 32 yields a much deeper depression in the foam. Forexample, a ⅝ inch thick sheet of foam material compressed against adepression 36 of 20 thousands of an inch in the patterned belt, in theapparatus 10 described above, yielded approximately a ½ inch deepdepression in the foam sheet 80. The spacing between the belt surface 34and the roller surface 56, if all other factors are equal, determinesthe compression factor of the foam and consequently the ratio ofpatterned belt depth to foam cut depth. The depth of cut in the foam canbe reduced for a given pattern belt recess depth by increasing thespacing between the roller surface 56 and the belt surface 34, thusreducing the compression factor.

For certain applications, it may be desired to cut both the upper andlower surfaces of a slab of cellular material. If the embodiment of theinvention shown in FIGS. 1-3 is used for this purpose, once the slab hasbeen fed between the compression rollers and cut on one side, the slabmay then be inverted and fed between the compression rollers so that itmay be profile-cut on the opposite surface.

The endless belt 32 preferably is formed from a flexible material suchas rubber or silicone rubber or urethane. The belt 32 is thick enough towithstand the compressive forces, preferably about 0.375 inches or more,and has a durometer of about 35 or higher. Alternatively, the belt maybe formed of fiberglass reinforced polyurethane or other compositematerials suitable for endless belts.

As shown in FIG. 4 in an alternate embodiment 200, rather than using anendless belt, the patterned platform may be constructed as a continuousor endless series of inter-linked plates or panels 208 driven by chainand sprocket. The series of plates 208, preferably formed from metal forother sturdy substrate, are mounted on shafts 210. The shafts 210 areheld for rotation within bearing sleeves 212. Y-shaped follower bars 214are connected at one end to the shafts 210 and at the other two ends topin members 204 holding together the links 202 of a chain. The chainlinks 202 are driven by sprockets (not shown), which in turn are drivenby motors (not shown).

The plates 208 may define one or more recesses 216, or portions ofrecesses 216. The recesses may be cut through a portion or through theentire thickness of a plate. The recesses may be formed in rectangular,circular or other geometric shape. The recesses may be cut innon-uniform, non-symmetrical and not repeating shapes. The recesses neednot be contained wholly within a single plate. Rather, a recess definedby one plate may complement the recess defined by an adjacent plate toform larger or more complex recess shapes.

When a series of plates are used as the patterned platform, the slab ofcellular material will be pressed against the plates by a compressionroller (not shown in FIG. 4) so that a portion of the material iscompressed into the recesses in the plates and is cut away from the slabby a knife blade just as the cellular material emerges from thecompression roller. A support platform 222 is provided below the plates208 to support the plates when compression forces are exerted on them bythe compression roller.

The apparatus according to this invention might be used to make profilecut products for a variety of end uses. In addition to motor vehiclecarpet systems, profile cut products might be made for other vehicleinterior applications, such as headliners, side panels and dash panels.Profile cut products might also be used for mattresses, mattress pads,pillows, furniture cushions, filters, sports equipment, footwearcomponents and packaging. The above list is intended to berepresentative and not exhaustive as to all the possible applicationsfor the invention.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described andillustrated here, various changes, substitutions and modifications tothe described embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art without thereby departing from the scope and spirit ofthe invention.

We claim:
 1. An apparatus for shaping a slab of cellular polymer material by cutting and removing portions of the material from an outer surface of the slab, comprising: a compression roller and a cooperating support surface, said compression roller rotatable on an axis and having its outer surface spaced apart from the support surface to define a predetermined gap therebetween so that the roller exerts a compressive force against the slab of cellular polymer material as said slab is passed through said gap between the compression roller and the support surface; a patterned belt having an outer surface and being interposed in the gap between the compression roller and the support surface and movable with relation thereto, said outer surface of said patterned belt defining at least one recess to receive a portion of the cellular polymer material when a region of the slab is passed through said gap and compressed between the compression roller and the support surface, and wherein said belt is driven by a drive roller; and a blade for cutting the cellular polymer material as the slab emerges from the gap between the compression roller and the support surface, said blade positioned adjacent the gap and in substantially closely adjacent relationship with the outer surface of the patterned belt to cut a portion of the cellular material received within the recess of the patterned belt from the slab.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support surface is part of a cooperating support roller.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the patterned belt is an endless flexible belt.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one recess comprises a plurality of recesses.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the plurality of recesses defines a non-symmetrical, non-repetitive pattern.
 6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the belt is formed from at least one material selected from the group consisting of: rubber, silicone rubber, urethane, and fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane, and the belt has a durometer of at least about
 35. 7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the patterned belt has an inner surface that frictionally engages the support surface.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blade is positioned closely adjacent to the outer surface of the patterned belt so that material is cut from the slab solely from the portion of the cellular material that is received within the recess of the patterned belt.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blade is positioned adjacent to the outer surface of the patterned belt so that a layer of material is cut from the entire surface of the slab and a greater amount of material is cut from the slab from the portion of the cellular material that is received within the recess of the patterned belt.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the patterned belt has a set of ribs that engage a mating set of ribs on the drive roller so that rotation of the drive roller drives the belt.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a motor drives the drive roller and the drive roller causes the belt to travel at a speed synchronized with the speed at which the outer surface of the drive roller is driven.
 12. An apparatus for shaping a continuously fed slab of cellular polymer material by cutting and removing portions of the material from an outer surface of the slab, comprising: a compression roller and a cooperating support surface, said compression roller rotatable on an axis and having its outer surface spaced apart from the support surface to define a predetermined gap therebetween so that the roller exerts a compressive force against the slab of cellular polymer material as said slab is fed continuously through said gap between the compression roller and the support surface; a continuous patterned belt having an outer surface and being interposed in the gap between the compression roller and the support surface and movable with relation thereto, said outer surface of said patterned belt defining at least one recess to receive a portion of the cellular polymer material when a region of the slab is passed through said gap and compressed between the compression roller and the support surface, and wherein said belt is driven by a drive roller; and a blade for cutting the cellular polymer material as the slab emerges from the gap between the compression roller and the support surface, said blade positioned adjacent the gap and in substantially closely adjacent relationship with the outer surface of the patterned belt to cut a portion of the cellular material received within the recess of the patterned belt from the slab.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the patterned belt is an endless belt.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one recess comprises a plurality of recesses.
 15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the belt is formed from at least one material selected from the group consisting of: rubber, silicone rubber, urethane, and fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane, and the belt has a durometer of at least about
 35. 16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the patterned belt has an inner surface that frictionally engages the support surface.
 17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the patterned belt has a set of ribs that engage a mating set of ribs on the drive roller so that the rotation of the drive roller drives the belt.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a motor drives the drive roller and the drive roller causes the belt to travel at a speed synchronized with the speed at which the outer surface of the drive roller is driven. 